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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25746250">baby, we’re going down together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonnoblea/pseuds/lonnoblea'>lonnoblea</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Room of Swords (Webcomic)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Museums, Slow Burn, phantom thief</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:15:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,194</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25746250</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonnoblea/pseuds/lonnoblea</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The exhilaration that came from the thief was like nothing he’d ever felt before, like a long-awaited breath of fresh air. It huddled in his chest, made the hair at the back of his neck rise up.</p><p>And the feeling didn’t leave Kodya for the rest of the night.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gyrus Axelei/Kodya Karevic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>baby, we’re going down together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Every night was the same as each night before and, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, if that wasn’t absolute hell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya was exhausted, restless as he idly bumped his baton against a marble pillar, sending harsh taps echoing throughout the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few years ago, he was a young, bright-eyed kid—filled to the brim with ambition and spirit when he first began this job. It took him half a year to realize that there were no monsters in the dark, no elaborate museum heists and definitely no Hollywood-type glamour that came with night guarding. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He tried to leave, of course, no sane mind would waste half of their life on a job they absolutely despised. But the pay was good and he didn’t think himself to be qualified for any other jobs New York had to offer (except in the occasional fast food joint but Kodya wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> desperate). He wouldn’t admit it outloud but it was easier just to give up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So every bland day melded into the next, and Kodya didn’t know when he stopped truly living and started simply existing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed, heavy and weary, pacing himself back and forth in front of the main entrance of the museum. Time seemed to pass slower while he was working and Kodya didn’t have much to occupy himself other than watching the city's homeless and the drunken disorderly pass by the building from the grainy CTVs footage in the security room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya was rolling his shoulder, working out a knot in his muscle</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> when the crisp shatter of glass sounded throughout the hallways followed by a string of words that would make his grandmother frown.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>To say that he was excited would be an understatement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He bit his lip, a pleasant spark of adrenaline shooting through his body, and it was almost fucked up with how drawn he was to the noise—to the promise of danger—but there was no question about the excitement that bubbled in his chest, the giddy high that clouded his mind. He definitely wanted to meet the person who was gutsy enough to rob one of New York’s most esteemed museums.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya followed the noise to its source, his footsteps light, and he soon found himself outside the entrance to the ancient Asian artifact room—specifically the one that housed the newly discovered ‘Eye of Vishnu’. It was a sapphire</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> roughly the size of a baseball</span>
  <span>,</span>
  <span> that had recently been uncovered in Mongolia by a team of American paleontologists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pushed open the grand, wooden door and grimaced at the shuddering groan the hinges made. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well shit, there goes stealth. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya took out his flashlight and flicked it on, his heart thumping loudly in his ears. He wiped his clammy hands on the fabric of his pants, anxiety and fear settling thickly in his gut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He counted to ten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya entered the room and headed directly to where the sapphire would reside. He let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing the gem disturbed but nonetheless unharmed. The jewel glinted under the trembling light, the case surrounded by broken glass shards tinted with blood. His breath hitched, eyes searching cautiously around the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, crap. I didn’t think I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> loud.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The night guard startled, whirling around to the origin of the voice and was met with the most unwelcome of sights.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A dark figure stood around 11 feet away from him—6 feet away from the sapphire—his face obscured by a black mask that began at his chin and ended at his cheekbones. What was striking about the man was his eyes—vivid purple and ever so piercing. He leaned against one of the marble pillars, bandaging his right fist with supplies that most definitely came from the museum’s souvenir shop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya could only stare, watching as he finished up before tucking the strands of vibrant green hair that escaped the restraint of his hood back behind his ear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then the man finally acknowledged him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fixed him with a levelled stare, trailing his gaze up and down and Kodya barely managed to suppress the shiver that travelled throughout his body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever, this should still be an easy job. I’ll just have to make it quick,” the man said, low and cocky and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> if that didn’t send all the right messages to all the right places. Kodya swallowed down the large lump in his throat, no single voice had the right to be that </span>
  <em>
    <span>powerful</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Danger laced his tone and Kodya bit his lip, hard enough to taste the coppery tint of blood. He drew a deep breath to stabilize his fraying nerves, his heart thumping a bit too fast for comfort. Christ, he shouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> excited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hand wavered by his side, where his baton rested, as the thief took a step closer to the jewel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Step away from the gemstone, kid,” Kodya spoke out, trying his hardest to leak authority into his tone. “I don’t want to hurt you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thief paused before letting out a mockingly contemplative hum. He was unbothered, relaxed even, and the air of casual nonchalance irked Kodya beyond a reasonable amount. Kodya stifled down his anger, reigning in his temper before he could lash out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Kid? I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be the one calling you that." He made a show of sizing him up. "What are you? 20?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“25,” Kodya gritted out before reason could catch up. “Now step down.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ignored him, much to Kodya’s dismay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Still younger than me and you look the part too,</span>
  <em>
    <span> kid</span>
  </em>
  <span>." The man seemed amused, turning back to examine the glittery jewel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, this is going nowhere.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then the beginning of an idea sprouted in the back of his mind. It was dangerous, maybe even reckless, and his mother would definitely chastise him for putting himself so openly in harm’s way but what other choice did he have?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thief was a foot away from the sapphire when Kodya finally spoke out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come here and I'll show you who's the kid—unless you’re all bark and no bite," Kodya said with false bravado, hoping it would veil his nerves which were already in shambles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped in his tracks, his interest seemingly peaked and Kodya felt all the air rush out of his lungs—partly out of relief and partly out of amazement that the taunt somehow managed to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is that an invitation?" the man purred, predatory and dark</span>
  <span>.</span>
  <span> Kodya would’ve probably found him quite attractive if they met on normaler terms and he wasn’t a fistfight away from kicking the bucket. Still, in a quite fucked up way, Kodya didn’t think that it dampered his appeal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swallowed down his fear and raised his fists.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s whatever you want it to be.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was the slightest of wavers in his voice—a detail that neither of them missed—and Kodya felt a spark of excitement at the sudden, dangerous glint in the man’s eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a step forward in Kodya’s direction and the night guard backed up, the pattern continuing until Kodya felt the dull smack of the wall. He straightened up, trying his best not to look like cornered prey but a snicker filled the room and Kodya realized it probably wasn’t working.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something tells me</span>
  <em>
    <span> you’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> the one that’s all talk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya bit his lip, making no movement to respond.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just a few more seconds.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was a God out there, Kodya decided this was the best time to cash in on all those nightly prayers he did before he got stuck in this hellhole of a job. The thief seemed to savour his squirming, slowing down and drawing out the excruciating tension between them. Kodya was almost grateful. His nerves began to unravel and, ignoring the subtle trickle of sweat on his temple, Kodya was beginning to think his situation was hopeless. His heart thumped erratically in his chest, terror and anxiety gnawing at the pit of his stomach until—</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Aha!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya felt blindly behind him until his fingers caught the cold press of glass. He flipped open the cover of the device, before pressing his thumb against the button embedded in the wall. Sweet victory coursed through his veins as Kodya grinned and the thief stopped, quick to pick up on the sudden change of mood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait—why are you so happy? What did you—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The grating sound of metal filled the air as pricier exhibits—including the sapphire—found themselves encased in a layer of inpentratable steel. The man spun around on his heel, able to catch a short glimpse of the sapphire before it disappeared from view. Kodya let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding and the beginning of a smug grin crept onto his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quickly stifled the initial burst of triumph when the thief whirled back around on him, his initial look of utter shock morphing into something more sinister, more menacing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya swallowed, his mouth suddenly very dry. Truth be told, he didn’t plan too far ahead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, fuck. Now what?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You…,” the man began, his speech faltering.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup,” Kodya finished, confidence wavering and he grimaced at the clammy state of his palms—well, his entire person actually.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thief glanced at Kodya, to the capsulated sapphire, then back to Kodya. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And he expected malice—a glare followed by a not-so-pleasant string of words—but the corners of the man’s eyes wrinkled in delight and Kodya didn’t know whether he should be alarmed or relieved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Definitely the prior.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re an interesting one, Kodya Karevic,” he practically purred and Kodya’s palm shot up to cover his nametag, his heart skipping a beat. The thief raised a perfectly smug eyebrow and Kodya ignored the heat that began to crawl up his neck in favour of gritting his teeth. It was futile at that point to hide his name but it wasn’t as if he could fight his own instincts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you cost me a priceless jewel tonight,” he added, not as kindly. The room dropped in temperature. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya felt very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> much in danger (and some fucked up part of him</span>
  <em>
    <span> liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> it).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His gaze was piercing and Kodya tried, to the extent of his will, not tremble under that stare. He felt every bit undressed as if he was laid bare for the man to see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took a few steps forward and Kodya was too slow to fall back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His hand darted forward to grip Kodya’s jaw, drawing his face down closer to his own. Kodya recoiled to the best of his ability, grimacing at the hot breath that filtered through the man’s mask against the shell of his ear. The thief murmured, low and lethal, “You win this time but mark my words, I’ll be back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kodya couldn’t stifle down the flare of defiance. He wrenched his face toward the man.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck. You,” Kodya hissed, his voice thick with venom and malice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His palm wrapped around the handle of his baton, but the thief jumped back before Kodya was able to manage a good swat at him, the weapon making contact with empty air instead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man laughed, full and every bit dangerous. Something in his heart throbbed and Kodya ignored the strange pull in his chest, the hairs on his neck that began to stand from his excitement. He lowered his baton, willing his shaky legs to stop trembling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thief sounded ecstatic—a bright stare that locked onto Kodya as if he were a present on Christmas day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Interesting, so very interesting indeed,” he repeated and Kodya wouldn’t admit it but he understood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t recall a time where he felt this alive and there was exhilaration that came with those purple eyes, adrenaline that pulsed in his veins like never before. Kodya tasted youth, relished in the excitement of a hunt, and it was like a drug to him amongst the dull, boring drone of his life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The thief fled and Kodya took chase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the time he rounded the corner, he was met with an empty hallway. Any and all trace of the thief was gone as if the man had evaporated into thin air.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was disappointed, of course, but the promise of his return, of an adventure—something that broke the cycle of bleak, endless days—excited Kodya to the depths of his being.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He almost wished it didn’t. Almost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the cops came around ten minutes later, Kodya told them about the break-in yet let himself omit information such as the thief’s eye and hair colour. He felt guilty, of course, like he wasn’t playing the role of a good samaritan (he definitely wasn’t). And Kodya would like to think that he couldn’t make sense of how he could keep crucial information from the police but he knew very well why.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The exhilaration that came from the thief was like nothing he’d ever felt before, like a long-awaited breath of fresh air. It huddled in his chest, made the hair at the back of his neck rise up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the feeling didn’t leave Kodya for the rest of the night.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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